About 275,000 still without power after ice storm blasts across state

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Power companies were working Monday to get heat and light restored to a few hundred thousand people still in the dark after a storm lashed Missouri over the weekend, as the death toll climbed.

The weather was expected to become drier, though remain cold, with lingering snow showers and flurries ending Monday, following a storm that dumped ice and sleet across much of the state throughout the weekend.

The storm contributed to at least eight deaths. Seven of the deaths were traffic-related, with one in Lawrence County a result of carbon monoxide exposure, state officials said. The State Emergency Management Agency said an earlier report of a carbon monoxide death in Franklin County was wrong.

The state agency said about 312,000 households still were without electricity Monday afternoon, but some utilities were reporting progress later in the day.

Particularly hard hit was Southwest Missouri, which accounted for about 188,000 of those without power, including customers of Springfield City Utilities, Empire Electric and various rural electric cooperatives.

Drury University, in Springfield, also announced Monday that its campuses would be closed until Monday because of the storm. The new semester was scheduled to start Wednesday, but the university cited fallen trees and a lack of power at some residence halls in canceling classes.

Ameren still had about 72,000 customers out around 4 p.m., mostly in the St. Louis region. Ameren said it had restored power to about 200,000 customers since Friday, but Monday's figure included new outages, such as about 8,000 in Jefferson City. Others got power back, only to lose it again.

State officials had warned that more power outages were expected Monday as electric lines snapped under the weight of ice and from falling tree limbs.

Ameren estimated it would have everyone's lights back on by Wednesday night. Spokeswoman Susan Gallager said more than 2,500 linemen from nine states were working to restore power.

Springfield City Utilities had no estimate of when its power could be fully restored to its more than 37,000 still out, adding that some customers would need an electrician to repair their pipes, which carry electric wires into homes, before it could restore their power.

Officials around the state reported struggling with a variety of problems, from water towers running dry in Barry County to emergency shelters running low on food and water to traffic signals not working in St. Louis County.

Gov. Matt Blunt has sought a federal disaster declaration for 34 counties and St. Louis city, under which the federal government would pick up a share of the recovery costs.

"Emergency workers have told me this is the largest mass care national disaster Missouri has ever experienced," Blunt said in a written statement Monday as he visited shelters in Springfield and St. Charles. "My primary concern is the safety of Missourians."

Amtrak canceled Sunday service between Kansas City and St. Louis due to fallen trees and other debris on railroad tracks. But the railroad said the tracks had been cleared and trains would start running between the cities again by Monday afternoon.

In Cole County, Circuit Judge Richard Callahan had planned to continue with a weeks-long trial over the state's method of funding public schools, but he canceled Monday's session, citing wintry weather and the delays he faced in returning to town.

State government offices and the legislature already were closed Monday in celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Officials said the worst of the storm damage was in a 50-mile swath along Interstate 44.

State officials reported that 73 shelters and warming centers had been opened around the state, helping about 2,000 people Sunday.

Blunt declared a state of emergency Saturday, and about 300 National Guard members were called out in areas where slick roads, downed trees and utility lines posed hazards.

Guardsmen went door-to-door, checking on the health and safety of residents in the hardest-hit parts of the state and helping to clear slick roads.

Snow flurries were moving out of the state Monday, with dry, cold days ahead, said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Pedigo, in the St. Louis suburb of Weldon Spring.

On Thursday, temperatures across Missouri should reach the mid- to upper 30s, helping melt the ice, though central and southwest portions could pass the freezing mark sooner, he said. The next chance for precipitation was late Sunday or Monday.